I think we have really lost sight of that notion, to reduce. It seems particularly egregious here in the U.S. where we like to consume like there is no tomorrow. If we keep consuming that way, there may not be a tomorrow for everyone.
There was a story on the news the other night about an island of plastic that is floating around in the oceans. I am not kidding about an island. The thing is huge, and likely getting bigger all the time because we keep using more plastic all the time. So let me urge everyone to REDUCE!!
In our house, we all have metal or hard plastic reusable water bottles. They work fine, and I have had my slightly beat up metal bottle for going on ten years now. If doing something nice for the environment isn’t your thing, then think about your wallet.
Let’s say I got a really pricey bottle, which I wouldn’t, but let’s just say that I bought the bottle for $20. Take that cost over ten years and it comes to $2 per year. How much do you spend on disposable plastic water bottles? I guarantee if you buy bottles water, you spend way more than $2 a year. You probably spend more than $2 a week on bottled water. Think of how much money you can save by having and using a refillable water bottle. You could be putting hundreds of dollars a year back into your pocket. Isn’t that incentive enough? But then think about how many bottles you are NOT contributing to the garbage island out in the ocean. It’s a win-win, and if you read anything I’ve written on this blog, you’ll find that is what I always go for.
So let’s go for all three parts of the graphic—reduce, reuse, and recycle. But remember that the first step is to REDUCE!! Heck, even just giving up straws (which I have) is a step in the right direction. I for one would like to have grand-kids some day, and I would love for them to have a planet that can still sustain life for them to enjoy.